Silence guaranteed at new book club

A new book club at the McPherson Public Library offers members the camaraderie of the club, without the stress of an extensive social time.

The silent book club meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and is free to the public.

Participants can choose a cozy place to sit in the library with their book of choice.

After the participants meet and read their books, they can talk, have refreshments and enjoy the company of other club members in light discussion about what they’re reading.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find a quiet spot at home to just read uninterrupted, so if people are really looking for that opportunity to have that quiet time of uninterrupted space that’s what they can get with the silent book group,” said Shannon Brake, communications and marketing manager at the library. “This is ideal for busy lifestyles.”

At every meeting, members can explore new services and selections the library is offering that month.

Even though the book club is “silent,” there is still the small social aspect of camaraderie and shared book recommendations.

Monica Rice and Judy Potter attended the book club Thursday evening and both agreed that the club encourages them to read with other people, but not a specific book.

New to the library is a quiet zone policy that was in place at the beginning of September where part of the library is guaranteed to be silent and readers can get lost in their books without interruptions.

The silent zone is not only for the book club, but for studying, reading and to have an environment that is already provided for people.

Brake explained the idea of silent book clubs have been tried out at other libraries with some success, but feels with their new silent zone that it was the right time to implement the book club in the library.

"We're always looking for new things to meet the needs of our patrons," she said.

For more information visit the McPherson Public Library's website at http://www.macpl.org/ or visit their Facebook page.

Contact Brooke Haas by email at bhaas@mcphersonsentinel.com or follow her on Twitter @MacSentinel.